214 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Pots and Potting—continued. 
with roots. In order to supply plants with an amount of 
soil and root space somewhat in proportion to their several 
requirements, numerous sizes of Pots are indispensable. 
There are various sorts and shapes made, the most being 
of the ordinary description; while special ones are made 
for Orchids, and for other purposes, such as forcing Rhu- 
barb and Seakale. Ordinary Pots are always provided with 
a hole at the bottom, for the escape of water; in some of 
the larger sizes, two or three in addition are made at 
the side, near the bottom. A rim is generally made round 
the top, but, in some potteries, small sizes are made 
without; one of the objects being that a larger quantity 
may be stood in a given space after they are filled with 
plants—the absence of rims allowing them to be arranged 
in a smaller compass. Orchid-pots are of greater width, 
in proportion to depth, than others of ordinary make; 
they are also much perforated at the bottom and sides, 
to insure the porosity and perfect drainage which 
these plants require, and to allow spaces for their roots 
to grow through and attach themselves to the outside 
surface. Blanching-pots used for forcing Rhubarb and 
Seakale are large and deep, and are provided with a 
movable top, for affording access to the interior without 
lifting off the whole, They are inverted over the plants 
in the reserve ground, or elsewhere in the open garden, 
and covered with leaves or fermenting material. These 
Pots are specially useful where forcing or forwarding is 
only requisite in spring, and not throughout the winter. 
Some few cultivators favour glazed Pots in preference 
to those of the usual description, which are unglazed; but 
they are much higher priced, and, for several reasons, are 
not to be generally recommended. Glazed Pots do not 
need much attention to keep them clean, and plants 
grown in them require less water than in the others; but 
there is not the same degree of cohesion between the 
soil and Pot, which is most desirable for success in plant 
culture. 
Besides the sorts of Pots already referred to, there are 
others known as the Alpine or Double-sided, and the 
Double-rimmed. The Alpine Pot is virtually two, one 
inside the other, a narrow space being allowed between 
them for filling with water, damp sand, or moss, for the 
purpose of preventing evaporation from the soil in which 
the plant grows. This end may be gained, to a certain 
extent, by the use of moss and two ordinary Pots of 
different sizes, one inside the other; but, if water is 
intended for filling the space between, only the best 
ware, as used for the Alpine Pot, would suit: the 
ordinary sort would be too porous. Double-rimmed 
Pots are used for propagating, when bell glasses are 
employed; an extra rim being made for the reception of 
the glass, which admits of all the space inside being 
ocenpied with cuttings. These Pots have few practical 
advantages, and are not extensively used. Shallow Pots 
are now in great demand, especially for Orchids: they 
may be suspended like baskets, and, being shallow, are 
often called pans. 
Potting forms a most important part of the routine work 
of gardening; it has to be practised more or less almost 
daily in all extensive establishments. The work varies 
infinitely with the numerous subjects grown, as do also 
the requirements of different plants. Some need very firm, 
and others only moderately firm, Potting; and, again, one 
_ sort of plant will bear frequent, and what is termed large, 
shifts, while certain death would result with another were 
it similarly treated. A few general remarks may be given 
on this subject here ; but it will be unnecessary to enter 
portance, and forms the Arst” part of the Potting 
Pots and Potting—continued. 
process, except the preparation of soil and Pots. These 
latter should always be used clean and dry; they 
are best if washed; but when this is impracticable, a 
thorough rubbing-out is most essential. It may not be 
generally known that plants never turn out properly 
from Pots that are wet or dirty at the time they are used; 
sometimes, it is impossible to separate balls of earth 
without breaking them all to pieces, and so destroying, 
or at least injuring, the roots. .Dry, clean Pots, and good 
drainage, are, therefore, impo reparations for Potting. 
The proper soil will, of course, vary with the numerous 
plants about to be inserted therein, but a rule of general 
application is that of having it just sufficiently moist at 
the time of using. Wet soil cannot be. properly worked 
in around the roots, and plants never succeed so well 
when placed in it; while a soil too dry cannot be rightly 
solidified in Potting, and is difficult to moisten through 
afterwards by watering. Soft-wooded plants may in- 
variably have more soil added to their roots at one time 
than those of a hard-wooded nature: where Pots nearly 
as large again may be safely used with the one, the other 
would only require the least additional space. Spring 
is the season when Potting operations are naturally most 
active, as the period when new growth commences 
in so many plants, after comparative imactivity, is 
a good time to provide them with additi root-space 
Fig. 269. POTTING-BENCH. 
or whatever other attention they may require. In 
Potting hard-wooded plants of any description, the old 
ball shonld never be placed lower in the soil than 
it has previously been; if the stems are buried, certain 
death will, in most cases, be the result. These remarks 
apply more particularly to Heaths and numerous 
subjects of a like tender nature that are natives of 
Australia, the Cape, &c. In contrast to the class of 
plants just referred to, there are others which may 
have their stems buried at the time of Potting without 
the least fear of injury; these are mostly of the soft- 
wooded class, and need not be severally mentioned. 
Another point for reference is that of properly filling- 
in the space all round the old ball of earth. It is not 
an unfrequent occurrence, on turning a plant out after 
it has been shifted, to find the space round the lower part 
of the old ball only ey filed; this shows ig 
: a plant is tied as 1 
should be, all the sddiGonal pol siven wil lave been 
